


Roll With It

by Ethereal_Red



Series: Tentative Allies [3]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 11:28:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8284225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ethereal_Red/pseuds/Ethereal_Red
Summary: Theron doesn't know what to think about his latest ally.Spoilers for the Sith Inquisitor story and Shadow of Revan





	

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out much sillier than I intended but it was so much fun to write. Darth Occlus is the name for neutral-alignment Inquisitors, Darth Imperius and Darth Nox are light and dark.

Asking an Imperial Dark Councilor about their personal relationships wasn’t something Theron ever thought he’d do. 

The fact that he didn’t find it weird probably said a lot about the state of his life right now.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s going on between you and Lana?”

Darth Occlus looked at him blankly.  “What do you mean?”

“Lana says you two have a ‘natural bond’, which I won’t pretend to understand, and I’ve seen the way you look at her,” Theron didn’t actually know what to make of the expression Occlus had whenever the darth looked at Lana, some sort of aloofness mixed with respect.  If he didn’t know better he’d say they were together, but if there was one thing he’d learned in the past few months it was that Occlus didn’t trust Lana at all. 

Then again maybe that didn’t matter. 

“Look, if you don’t want to tell me I get it, but if you guys decide to go all Sith politics on me I’d appreciate a warning.”

“Oh, that,” Occlus chuckled.  “You don’t need to worry.  I doubt Lana plans to assassinate me… at least not in the forseeable future.”

Theron blinked.  “I was kidding about the Sith politics thing.”

“It’s not Sith politics so much as Imperial life,” Occlus shrugged.  “But as I said, you have nothing to worry about unless you suddenly gain Force sensitivity and decide to join us.  Should that ever happen be sure to remember alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the Academy for anything less than celebrating the death of an entire class.”

“Uh… okay?”  Theron rolled along with the not-too-subtle subject change and tried to imagine himself with a lightsaber of any color.  It was a depressingly familiar daydream – he used to do it all the time as a kid, imagining himself looking all good and heroic, but now he could only see himself dying of accidental self-decapitation.  “Are dancers allowed, at least?”

“Amateurs only if the overseer is dead too, though professionals might be allowed if that overseer is named Harkun.  But if you’re desperate I suppose nothing’s stopping acolytes from putting on dance costumes themselves if they really want to.”

Occlus was smiling.  That probably meant he was joking… maybe?  Theron shook his head.  He actually wouldn’t be surprised if that was all true.

 

* * *

 

_The SIS knew who he was, of course.  Even if they didn’t make a point of keeping tabs on Dark Council members, a Sith who went from zero to Imperial hero in such a short time frame was a Sith to watch out for - especially when that Sith was a hybrid (half-Echani if his inhumanly pale skin and silver eyes were any indication) in a notoriously ethnocentric Empire.  The fact that he was friends with an ex-Republic captain, personally convinced a Padawan to defect to the Empire, and apparently had some kind of anti-Force bodyguard was extra icing on the cake._

_But if Lana was to be believed – normally he’d be doubtful of anything a Sith said, but why would she lie when she had just as much at stake as he did? – Darth Occlus could be trusted to at least help them find out what was going on.  In any case, if Theron was careful maybe he could glean some valuable info by working with them.  Might as well roll with it… after stocking up on protective shields and kolto._

_For now there were other, more pressing problems to worry about._

_“So…” Theron leaned back, angling himself so he could watch both the Sith beside him and the Sith on the monitors.  “This is probably a really dumb question, but is it safe for him to be throwing all that lightning around in an underwater lab?”_

_“The lab is insulated and I’m sure he knows to avoid important machines and potentially explosive substances,” Lana said, squinting at the screen.  “But even if there is a leak in the building I doubt he will be harmed by his own power.”_

_“So he’ll just drown instead of electrocute himself, then?”_

_Lana gave him a flat look, probably unimpressed by his completely valid hypothetical question about the potential death of one-twelfth of the Imperial ruling council, but responded anyway.  “Unlikely.  He is powerful – extremely powerful.  The Force is his loyal servant.”_

_“Right.  That’s… uh, reassuring.”_

_Of course that didn’t stop Colonel Darok and Darth Arkous from deciding to explode the whole lab, so Theron spent the next few minutes remotely slicing into submarine controls and playing cheerleader for a Dark Councilor of the Sith Empire._

_If nothing else this was shaping up to be an interesting partnership._

 

* * *

 

Theron waited until the sufficiently awestruck locals were out of sight before giving Occlus an incredulous look.  “Imperius Nox?  Really?”

“Captain Imperius Nox of the Howling Tempest Gang,” Occlus said haughtily, giving Theron a disdainful glance.  The effect was somewhat ruined by the grin threatening to take over Occlus’s face.  “It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“Uh… yeah.  Sure.”

 

* * *

 

_“Theron Shan, SIS,” Theron cautiously held out a hand to the Sith who’d just blasted through a heavily guarded laboratory like plasma bolts through butter._

_“A pleasure,” Occlus said, shaking Theron’s hand. He smiled, a mischievous expression that seemed to promise trouble, and Theron tried not to take a nervous step back.  “That was some impressive work, Agent Shan.  The Empire could use people like you.”_

_Okaaay… not exactly what he’d been expecting and not an offer he’d ever consider, but at least being useful meant his new ‘allies’ were less likely to eviscerate him out of boredom or something.  Maybe he might survive this after all._

 

* * *

 

“I suppose congratulations on your promotion are in order,” Occlus said thoughtfully.  “And here I thought I could recruit you into the Empire.”

“Oh yeah, why not?”  Theron snorted.  “I’m sure everyone will trust me and never assume I’m secretly working for _my own mother_.”

“Well, of course,” the Sith grinned, an action that would’ve sent Theron running for the hills a few months ago but now only made him wonder what crazy thing the darth thought up this time.  

On second thought, he should probably run for the hills.

“They won’t trust you but they’ll want to make you think they trust you in order to make you lower your guard and slip up,” Occlus explained matter-of-factly.  “So although they can’t trust you they’ll still make an effort to pretend they trust you and give you seemingly important work because if they want you to trust them it’s only logical they do so.” 

“Meanwhile, in order to win their trust you have to do everything perfectly and so you will, and by doing everything perfectly you will eventually earn their trust.  Of course the ultimate success of this plan relies on your willingness to join us, which is apparently nonexistent, though I suppose it also works if you decide to embed yourself with us as a spy for the Republic.  For the record, I do not recommend this latter course of action.”

Theron blinked.  Then he blinked again.  “That actually made sense.  How the kriff are you making sense?” 

“I’m just that awesome.”

 


End file.
